Wall mounted heater

ABSTRACT

A forced air electric space heater construction permitting convenient entry and mounting thereof within a wall, or the removal therefrom, through a rectangular wall opening of considerable smaller vertical dimension than that of the heater. A one-piece rectangular open mounting frame having deep top and sidewalls and a relatively shallow bottom wall is inserted into a hollow wall structure through a rectangular opening therein. A casing of considerably greater height but sufficiently less width and depth than the frame opening, whereby entry of the casing into the frame while in tilted position is permitted, houses electric heating elements, a blower and duct means having an air inlet and an air outlet in horizontal spaced relationship in the upper portion of the casing front wall. The casing and frame are provided with cooperable pivot means which engage and disengage, respectively, as the casing is entered into or withdrawn from the frame while in tilted position. Releasable latch means are provided to hold the casing in vertical position in the casing. A removable grille covers the wall opening.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Robert E.Steiner Creve Coeur, Mo. [21] Appl. No 331 [22] Filed Jan. 2,1970 [45] Patented June 29, 1971 [73] Assignee Emerson Electric Co. St. Louis, Mo.

54 WALL MOUNTED HEATER 7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl .I 219/370, 165/57, 165/122. 219/213, 219/342, 219/368 [51] lnt.Cl F24h 3/04, H05b 1/00 [50] Field ot'Search 165/53- [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,927,991 9/1933 Pendleton 165/57 2,122,454 7/1938 Child 165/122 X 2,662,963 12/1953 Wessel 219/368 2,988,626 6/1961 Buttner 219/370 (UX) 3,023,297 2/1962 Abel 165/57 X 4/1963 Mastuh. 11/1964 Sohnetal ABSTRACT: A forced air electric space heater construction permitting convenient entry and mounting thereof within a wall, or the removal therefrom, through a rectangular wall opening of considerable smaller vertical dimension than that of the heater, A one-piece rectangular open mounting frame having deep top and sidewalls and a relatively shallow bottom wall is inserted into a hollow wall structure through a rectangular opening therein. A casing of considerably greater height but sufficiently less width and depth than the frame opening, whereby entry of the casing into the frame while in tilted position is permitted, houses electric heating elements, a blower and duct means having an air inlet and an air outlet in horizontal spaced relationship in the upper portion of the casing front wall. The casing and frame are provided with cooperable pivot means which engage and disengage, respectively, as the casing is entered into or withdrawn from the frame while in tilted position. Releasable latch means are provided to hold the easing in vertical position in the casing. A removable grille covers the wall opening.

WALL MOUNTED HEATER This invention relates to electric space heaters which are adapted to be mounted within a wall and include a blower for moving air over heating elements and then outward through a grille opening into the space to be heated. It particularly relates to an electric heater construction which permits the convenient installation of the heater within a wall, or its removal therefrom, through an opening of considerably smaller dimension than that of the heater.

US. Pat. No. 3,157,776, issued Nov. 17, I964, to J. P. Sohn et al., discloses an arrangement, in FIGS. 10 and 12 of the drawings, which facilitates the insertion of a wall heater into a wall, or its removal therefrom, through a wall opening of smaller vertical dimension than the heater. The Shon et al. arrangement includes a two-section housing forming a complete enclosure and comprising upper and lower shells which are required to be separately entered into the wall and then fitted together within the wall. Thereafter, the housing is attached to adjacent wall studs and the blower, heating elements, and duct means, formed as a subassembly, are inserted into the housing.

The present invention has for an object the provision of a generally new and improved electric space heater having a one-piece open mounting frame adapted to convenient entry into a wall through a grille opening of smaller vertical dimension than the frame and to convenient attachment therein, and a casing enclosing air heating and blower means arranged for convenient entry into said open frame and for convenient detachable connection thereto.

A further object is to provide a particularly compact electric space heater adapted to be entered and detachably mounted in a wall through a wall opening to be covered by a grill, the heater including heating, blower, and air directing means for withdrawing air from a space to be heated, through one portion of the grille opening, for heating it, and then directing it back to the space through another portion of the grille opening.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. I is a front elevational view of a heater and mounting frame constructed in accordance with the present invention. A portion of the heater mounting frame is shown broken away and a fragmentary portion of a grille covering a wall opening is shown associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional elevational view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the heater and mounting frame with the front plate of the heater casing removed;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the heater mounting frame;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the heater mounting frame shown mounted in position within a wall;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the mounting frame attached within a wall between conventional wood studs;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary detailed view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 1, showing one of the mounting brackets, which are stamped and formed from the sidewalls of the mounting frame;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the grille mounted in position on the wall and covering the grill opening.

Referring to the drawings in more detail, the heater is shown mounted in a mounting frame 10 within a conventionally constructed partition wall between two adjacent two-by-four wall studs 12 and between front and rear wall panels 14 and 16, which panels may be plaster, wallboard, or any suitable material.

The mounting frame, generally indicated at 10 and shown separately in FIGS. 4 and 5, comprises a relatively deep upper portion having sidewalls 18 and a top wall 20,and a relatively shallow lower portion having sidewalls 22, a front wall 24, and a bottom wall 26. The front wall 24 of the lower portion of the frame is set back from the front edge of the upper, wider portion by an amount substantially equal to the thickness of the wall panel 14, as indicated in FIG. 5, and a short portion at the upper end of wall 24 is formed forward at a angle to provide a horizontal lip 28 extending to a point flush with the front edge of the upper portion of the frame 10. The sidewalls 18, the top wall 20, and the lip 28 form a horizontally elongated rectangular frame adapted to neatly fit an opening in wall panel 14.

The lower and upper portions of the open frame 10 are rigidly connected by welding, as indicated at 17 in FIG. 5. The mounting frame 10 is adapted to be positioned between wall panels 14 and 16 and between two adjacent wall studs 12, and to be inserted into this position through a horizontally elongated opening 13 in the wall panel 14, see FIGS. 5 and 6. The opening 13 has a horizontal dimension or width equal to the width of mounting frame 10. The vertical dimension or height of opening 13 is considerably less than the overall vertical dimension of mounting frame 10 and is substantially equal to the vertical distance between the lower surface of its lip 28 and the upper surface of its top wall 20. The horizontal dimension or width of the opening 13 and that of the frame 10 are also made equal to the spacing of studs 12 so that the frame 10 neatly fits between two studs 12 and so that the sidewalls 18 may be conveniently nailed or screwed to the adjacent studs,

as indicated at 34 in FIG. 6. The lower portions of the rear edges of sidewalls 22 of frame 10 are bevelled at 30 and the upper portions of the rear edges of sidewalls 18 are bevelled at 32 to provide additional clearance for insertion of the frame through the grille opening 13.

The heater further comprises a casing consisting of a backplate 36, a scroll 38, and a front plate 40. The scroll 38 is provided with flange portions 42 at the front and rear edges thereof for attachment thereof to the back and front plates 36 and 40 by rivets or spot welding. Between back and front plates 36 and 40 and within scroll 38 is a centrifugal blower 44 and a driving motor 46 therefor, with the axis of the motor and blower perpendicular to the wall panels 14 and 16. A circular opening 48 in the right side portion of front plate 40 provides an axial air inlet to the blower. The blower is supported on the motor shaft, and the motor is mounted on a bridge 50 spanning the opening 48 and attached thereto by bolts 52. The vertical dimension of the casing is considerably greated than the vertical dimension of wall opening 13.

Positioned in the left-hand portion of the casing, between the back and front plates, are a plurality of electrical resistance heating coils 54 mounted on suitable dielectric support members 56. The outlet of the scroll 38 is directed upwardly over the heating coils, see FIG. 3. In order to provide a more uniform distribution of the flow of air over the heating coils, a baffle 58 is provided at the outlet of the scroll. The baffle 58 extends between the back and front plates and is so shaped and positioned that the volumetric flow over the left and right portions of the heating elements is substantially equal.

The upper left-hand portion of the front plate has a rectan gular opening 60 therein, see FIG. 1, which is framed by forwardly projecting wall portions 62 and 64 formed as a part of the front plate 40 and a wall portion 66 formed as a part of rear plate 36. These wall portions extend forwardly to a point adjacent the grille and form a short outlet passage directing heated air outward through the grille and into the space, see FIG. 2 The back plate 36 has a forwardly extending lower wall portion 68 overlapping the lower run of the scroll and forming a partial bottom wall, see FIG. 2. These forwardly projecting portions 66 and 68 of backplate 38 are beveled, as indicated at 70 and 72 in FIG. 2, to provide for the tilting insertion of the casing through the grille opening and frame opening and into the wall space between the panels 14 and 16. The width of the casing is substantially equal to the width of opening 13 and mounting frame 10. The depth of the casing is, however, somewhat less that the vertical dimension of opening 13 and somewhat less than the space between wall panels 14 and 16.

The mounting frame is provided with mounting brackets 74 extending inwardly from its sidewalls 18. The mounting brackets 74 are formed as integral portions of the walls !8 by punching out portions of the sidewalls l8 and forming these portions, as shown in detail in FIG. 7. The front plate 40 is provided with a pair of vertically elongated apertures 76, one on each side thereof, see FIG. 1, which receive the brackets 74, whereby the heater casing is detachably supported in the mounting frame. The heater casing is further provided with a spring catch 78 centrally positioned on the upper forwardly extending wall portion 66 of the backplate 36. The spring catch 78 has a free end portion of semicylindrical form adapted to enter a slot 80 in the top wall of the mounting frame 10, thereby to releasably latch the casing to the top wall 20 of the mounting frame. A grille 82 bears against the finished surface of wall panel 14 and is connected to the sidewalls 18 of the mounting frame by two drive screws 86 which threadedly engage in loops 84 formed in the sidewalls of the mounting frame by slitting the metal and forming it inward.

When installing the heater, a rectangular opening 13 is cut in the wall panel 14, having a width extending between two adjacent wall studs and a height which will neatly receive the top wall 20 and forwardly extending lip 28 of the mounting frame. The mounting frame is then inserted through the grille opening 13 in a tilted position, with the lower narrow portion first, and with a downward and inward motion followed by a slight rotating motion to position the frame vertical with the wall 24 of the lower portion thereof against the insided of wall panel 14. With the front edges of the side and top walls 18 and 20 and the lip 28 flush with the outer surface of wall panel 14, the sidewalls 18 are nailed or screwed to the adjacent studs in a manner to anchor the mounting frame securely in place. The heater is then inserted, bottom first, in a tilted position into the mounting frame, with a downward and inward motion and entering the brackets 74 into the vertical slots 76. The arrangement of the vertically elongated slots 76 in the front plate 40 and the shape of mounting brackets 74 permit the entry of the brackets into the slots 76 while the casing is being entered in a tilted position and also permits the casing to be rotated slightly thereafter into a vertical position. With the mounting brackets 74 entered into slots 76, the free end of catch 78 will be caused to snap into the slot 80 as the casing is swung into a vertical position. The open mounting frame 10 is provided with a lip 88 projecting downward at an angle from the near edge of top wall 20, which provides a stop limiting the inward movement of the upper end of the casing.

Removal of the heater from the mounting frame is conveniently accomplished by pulling down on the free end of the catch 78 to release it, then pulling the upper portion of the casing outward to rotate it slightly on the brackets 74, and then pulling it outward and upward in a tilted position.

in operation, air is drawn by blower 44 from the space to be heated through the grille 82 and the opening 48 in front plate 40 into the casing. The air is then moved outwardly through the scroll 38, passed over the heater elements 56, and then discharged through the short duct 60 and through grille 82 back into the space.

lclaim: I

l. A forced air, imthe-wall type, electric heater comprising a rectangular mounting frame having top, side, and bottom walls adapted to frame a wall opening, said top and sidewalls being deep for extension into a wall space, but said bottom said frame while in tilted osition, means pivotall mounting said casing on a horizonta axis in the sidewalls 0 said frame comprising surfaces which engage and disengage, respectively, as said casing is entered into or withdrawn from said frame while in tilted position, means on at least one of said frame walls limiting rotation of said casing in said frame in one direction to a vertical position, and means latching said casing in a vertical position in said frame. 7

2. A heater as claimed in claim lin which said latching means is applied to the said top walls of said mounting frame and said casing and comprises a manually disengageable spring latch attached to one of said top walls and latch keeper means on the other of said top walls which enter into latching engagement as said casing is swung from a tilted to a vertical position in said frame.

3. A heater as claimed in claim 1 in which the front wall of said casing extends beyond the sidewalls thereof and in which said means pivotally mounting said casing in said frame comprises partially detached and inwardly formed portions of the sidewalls of said mounting frame entered into vertically elongated slots in those side portions of the front wall of said casing extending beyond the sidewalls thereof.

4. A heater as claimed in claim 1 in which said mounting frame has a front wall extending downward from the rear edge of said shallow bottom wall thereof, and shallow lower sidewalls coextending with said front wall, and a second shallow bottom wall extending across the lower edge of said front wall; in which said inlet in said front wall of said casing extends downward below said bottom wall of said frame; and in which said casing is mounted in said frame with said front wall thereof spaced rearwardly from said front wall of said mounting frame but within the extent of the depth of said lower shallow sidewalls and second shallow bottom wall of said mounting frame, and the depth of said top and sidewalls of said mounting frame and of said lower shallow sidewalls and second shallow bottom wall thereof being such that said mounting frame may be entered in a tilted position into a wall space through a wall opening having the width of said frame but having considerably less height than the overall height of said frame.

5. A heater as claimed in claim 1 in which the rear top and bottom edges of said casing are beveled to provide additional clearance for the tilted insertion of said easing into a wall space having a limited depth. 

1. A forced air, in-the-wall type, electric heater comprising a rectangular mounting frame having top, side, and bottom walls adapted to frame a wall opening, said top and sidewalls being deep for extension into a wall space, but said bottom wall being shallow and having only sufficient depth to extend through wall structure defining a wall opening, and a casing of general rectangular form entered into said frame, said casing having top, side, front, rear, and bottom walls and housing electric heating elements, a blower, and duct means, and having an inlet and an outlet in horizontal spaced relationship in the upper portion of the front wall thereof, said casing having considerably greater height but sufficiently less width and depth than said frame to permit the entry of said casing into said frame while in tilted position, means pivotally mounting said casing on a horizontal axis in the sidewalls of said frame comprising surfaces which engage and disengage, respectively, as said casing is entered into or withdrawn from said frame while in tilted position, means on at least one of said frame walls limiting rotation of said casing in said frame in one direction to a vertical position, and means latching said casing in a vertical position in said frame.
 2. A heater as claimed in claim 1 in which said latching means is applied to the said top walls of said mounting frame and said casing and comprises a manually disengageable spring latch attached to one of said top walls and latch keeper means on the other of said top walls which enter into latching engagement as said casing is swung from a tilted to a vertical position in said frame.
 3. A heater as claimed in claim 1 in which the front wall of said casing extends beyond the sidewalls thereof and in which said means pivotally mounting said casing in said frame comprises partially detached and inwardly formed portions of the sidewalls of said mounting frame entered into vertically elongated slots in those side portions of the front wall of said casing extending beyond the sidewalls thereof.
 4. A heater as claimed in claim 1 in which said mounting frame has a front wall extending downward from the rear edge of said shallow bottom wall thereof, and shallow lower sidewalls coextending with said front wall, and a second shallow bottom wall extending across the lower edge of said front wall; in which said inlet in said front wall of said casing extends downward below said bottom wall of said frame; and in which said casing is mounted in said frame with said front wall thereof spaced rearwardly from said front wall of said mounting frame but within the extent of the depth of said lower shallow sidewalls and second shallow bottom wall of said mounting frame, and the depth of said top and sidewalls of said mounting frame and of said lower shallow sidewalls and second shallow bottom wall thereof being such that said mounting frame may be entered in a tilted position into a wall space through a wall opening having the width of said frame but having considerably less height than the overall height of said frame.
 5. A heater as claimed in claim 1 in which the rear top and bottom edges of said casing are beveled to provide additional clearance for the tilted insertion of said casing into a wall space having a limited depth.
 6. A heater as claimed in claim 1 in which said blower is of the centrifugal type, and in which said duct means includes a scroll embracing said blower and directing air over said heating elements, and in which said scroll forms, in substantial part, the sidewalls of said casing.
 7. A heater as claimed in claim 6 which includes a short duct surrounding said outlet in said front wall of said casing and extending forward substantially to the front edges of said mounting frame walls. 